I’m lucky that at the University of Kent, we have the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), where I have spent the past four and a half years working on my PhD. I will be sad in a month or so when I finally have to say goodbye, but for now I am clutching onto things for as long as I can. Every year, DICE holds an annual lecture by an esteemed and well-known conservationist. Previous speakers have included the likes of Chris D. Thomas and Jane Goodall, and they are generally well attended. This year, we were very fortunate to have Dave Goulson of the University of Sussex, who some of you may recognise. Dave is a master of science communication and has published a number of books relating to bee conservation such as A Sting in the Tale, A Buzz in the Meadow, and Bee Quest. These are all books that I’ve previously enjoyed so it was great to attend a talk by the very same author, and meet him afterwards.

The topic of Dave’s talk was to make everybody aware of the plight of insects globally, and what can be done to help reverse the trends. Named after his latest book that nods to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse was a fascinating talk – and I look forward to reading the accompanying print format later this month. What is very clear from Dave’s talk is that he is a very modest and engaging scientist, with that unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and the ever-burning passion of our inner child that so many of us manage to keep stoked into our academic careers. I guess you’re wondering how we can help reverse the declines in insect populations we’ve seen in recent times. Well, there are a number of solutions: stop using pesticides to kill ‘weeds’ which are the wild flowers that pollinators depend on, to plant more wild flowers and restore habitats where they once flourished, and to adapt the way we alter the landscape to be more pollinator friendly. All of this sounds good in theory, and can be easily achieved on the small scale and the landscape scale, as gardens full of native flowers and the Knepp Estate have demonstrated respectively.

Dave’s talk was truly enjoyable, and I’m now going to read in his voice when it comes to Silent Earth, and any future publications. Thankfully, Dave was kind enough to sign a couple of my books (not all of them are currently in Canterbury), at a post-talk book signing. As is customary with such events, a departmental curry was organised, which gave us the perfect opportunity to question Dave after his talk and get to know him a little better. This lead to some interesting and thought provoking conversations, so thank you very much Dave and everyone else that attended! I wonder who will be the speaker at the next DICE Annual Lecture?

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